Through our community education programs, we work to educate Frisco Citizens about severe weather and the means to keep their families safe during these events. There are multiple means of notification used to inform the public during forecast periods, all of which we hope keep our Citizens aware of potentially dangerous weather.

The initial means of notification is through the local media and the National Weather Service as they forecast the potential for severe weather and issue Severe Weather Watches. These include the news weather forecasts, the scrolling bars along the bottom of your favorite TV show or the small maps that most TV stations have started to display during severe weather. These are all methods the National Weather Service uses to keep the public as informed as possible to severe weather.

Another method of notification is through a NOAA weather radio. These radios are available at electronics outlets and are capable of being programmed to only activate for a particular county. I strongly recommend that each household and business in Frisco own and maintain one of these radios as they are one of the best methods for being notified directly from the National Weather Service. These radios also have the added benefit of silently monitoring NWS radio until your geographic area is affected and then an alarm is sounded to notify you of the conditions. It works like an alarm clock for severe weather.

The last line of defense and specifically for persons outdoors and away from any media source and/or shelter, are the Outdoor Warning Sirens. These sirens are specifically designed to notify people who are not inside of any type of structure to seek shelter immediately. The single most important feature of the sirens is the tone generated to notify anyone outside that they need to seek shelter and turn on a radio or television to get more information. The voice capability on the sirens is simply another means for us to get information out quickly, however the “voice over siren” is not a method that is extremely effective nor do we rely upon the siren “voice” to transmit single-source information. Our intent is that anyone outside will hear the siren, wonder what is going on and go inside to turn on the TV or radio to investigate further.

As Frisco has continued to grow, new sirens have been purchased and installed to increase the coverage areas. As that growth continues, we are adding more sirens. Currently there are two sirens in your area, one on Eldorado Parkway between Preston Road and Hillcrest Road and a second siren at Roach Middle School.

With this awareness, we are hopeful that our Citizens will be proactive in their own protection. I would encourage anyone who would like to learn more about the Frisco Fire Department to consider attending our Citizen’s Fire Academy program or the Community Emergency Response Team training. If I can provide any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me directly at 972-292-6340 or psiebert@friscofire.com. Thanks, Paul Paul Siebert Deputy Chief Frisco Fire Department 972-292-6340 psiebert@friscofire.com

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